Judge Meets Judge

Judge Yimy Chirinos is wrapping up his ELAW Fellowship. This week he met with U.S. District Court Judge Ann Aiken at the Wayne Morse U.S. Courthouse in Eugene. Judge Aiken has been Chief Judge since 2009. She was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 1998.

Judge Aiken spoke with Judge Chirinos about training programs for U.S. federal judges and the importance of continuing education. She pointed him to a wealth of resources available at the D.C.-based Federal Judicial Center and invited him to sit in on programs at Oregon’s U.S. District Court.

Judge Chirinos is putting together a training program for judges in Honduras that focuses on environmental law, and particularly laws that pertain to marine areas. He says, “Increased understanding of the region’s ecological importance will lead to better management of natural resources, and ultimately the conservation of the Mesoamerican Reef.”

The temperature is dropping in the Northwest. If Judge Chirinos has it his way, he will see snow, for the first time, before he heads home in early December.